Los Angeles Lakers forward LeBron James was named the Associated Press Male Athlete of the Decade to kick off 2020. It appears boxer Floyd Mayweather still has not gotten over the snub.
James beat out the likes of New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady, Jamaican Sprinter Usain Bolt, and soccer superstar Lionel Messi for the honor. Floyd Mayweather said during an appearance on Drink Champs that he had been overlooked for the award, via Complex:
“I love LeBron James, but when we talking about Athlete of the Decade, that's me,” Floyd said. “That's me. Hands down.”
“We talking about from 1996 to 2020 and I've never received Athlete of the Decade,” Floyd continued. “At the top of Forbes and I'm my own boss.”
Floyd Mayweather added that the lack of big-name sponsors may have hurt his cause.
“No Gatorade behind me, no Sprite behind me, no Nike behind me,” Floyd said. “You got to realize, these are billion-dollar companies. And we like to call it ‘placement.' So if they paying—you get what you want if you paying enough. But if we going off just honestly, I'm the Athlete of the Decade. Of the last two decades actually.”
The frustration of Floyd Mayweather hardly comes as any surprise since he is no stranger to making bold claims when it comes to how he is compared to other boxers. He is clearly taking that same approach when stacking himself up against other athletes as well with his 50-0 record and history as a champion across multiple weight divisions.
Unfortunately, it seemed to pale in comparison to James' resume after winning three titles in eight consecutive NBA Finals appearances. He also managed to shift the landscape of the league in favor of the players while transcending his efforts in basketball by starting the I Promise School.
There is no question that all the aforementioned names were certainly deserving of the honor. Floyd Mayweather may be hard-pressed to find any people that would agree with him.